Cancel

    Open app

    Search

    Empanada Lady

    5.0 (89 reviews)
    InexpensiveSpanish

    Empanada Lady Photos

    You might also consider

    Recommended Reviews - Empanada Lady

    Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
    Yelp app icon
    Browse more easily on the app
    Review Feed Illustration

    Reviews With Photos

    Vinee with her chicken empanada
    Toune C.

    One of my best memories of San Juan. Can wait to go back to Puerto Rico again. One of the best empanadas I've eaten, definitely the best I've eaten at the beach! She could charge double for such yumminess! Crispy flaky shell filled with spices that wakes up your tastebuds!

    The amazing Empanada Lady!
    Tiffany H.

    12/8/19 at 11:50AM: I found the infamous Empanada Lady!!!! We're on the beach right by the Marriott and had been looking for her for the past two days. She was well worth the wait! The empanadas are delicious and a great deal at 2 for $5 (chicken or beef). They are very flavorful and crispy! She's also so so sweet! If you're lucky, you'll find her and get to try her great homemade empanadas.

    Empanadas
    Andrea M.

    We decided to go to the beach in Condado in hopes of finding the famous empanada lady. My children were SO excited when they spotted her within 30 minutes of us arriving. This sweet woman carries around insulated bags full of her delicious homemade chicken and beef empanadas. You get two for $5 and they're huge! I've heard that most people see her around the Marriott hotel but we saw her near the Earl St beach access.

    Delicious empanadas on Condado beach! Happy hubby!!!
    Sonya M.

    We read about the Empanada Lady on Yelp and knew we had to try them. They did not disappoint. She (Minerva?) is a lovey woman and we are looking forward to running into her again on the beach!

    Beef
    Michael P.

    Picture this.... The sun is shining, the waves are crashing and you have a pina colada in hand. You just spent 20 minutes greasing yourself up and now smell like a tropical oasis! You are good to go, right? Well the answer would be yes, thinking that there is absolutely nothing that could make this moment better... WRONG! Then you look over and see out of the corner of your eye, a lady walking around carrying two Las Vegas Marshall's bags... I know what you are thinking, probably the same thing I was when I saw it...Is the Marshall's within walking distance and how did I miss it? When you see this woman, RUN! Directly towards her, do not lose sight of her, do not even think twice about it, just grab some cash and RUN! In those bags, one over each of her shoulders, are the most delicious homemade empanadas, one shoulder is carrying beef while the other has chicken. They are made fresh, still warm (kept in insulated coolers hidden inside the Marshall's bags) and are by far one of my favorite things thus far on this trip. They are 2 for $5 and well worth experiencing! The crust is flaky and the fillings are full of flavor. It is hard to pick a favorite so I highly recommend one of each, and trust me... You are not going to want to share them. She was on the beach around 12/12:30, you can't miss her when she is there, but you certainly need to keep your eye out for her! Eat these, straight from her bag! You won't be disappointed! This is what I came here for, moments like this. Ok, gotta run... It's 11:30, I need to get my ass to the beach so I can start looking out for her!

    Nancy G.

    Omg her empanadas are delicious!! If you see her, buy some!! You won't regret it!! She's super sweet too!!

    Timothy S.

    Empanadas lady on the beach! At first it seems very sketchy, selling empanadas out of marshals bags. But I gave it a shot, they were 2 for $5, not bad but I know you could probably get them cheaper elsewhere, paying for convenience! Two choices, chicken and beef. We'd of both! I liked the chicken, and my friend likes the beef, so definitely personal preference. Even the beach guys said this is pretty legit local food, they eat it. So if you want something other than hotel food, would definitely get the empanadas from this lady when she walks by! Also how can you say no to such a cute face!

    See all

    11 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    8 years ago

    Delicious! I was on the beach at San Juan Marriott and I was so glad I decided to try them! The chicken empanada was amazing!

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    9 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 4
    Oh no 0

    9 years ago

    On our last day here, we finally found the empanada lady! Amazing, juicy on the inside, crispy on the outside empanadas. Best in San Juan!

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    9 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    9 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    11 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    10 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    10 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    Page 3 of 3

    Review Highlights - Empanada Lady

    “I cannot believe the strength this woman has at her age carrying around two heavy bags full with empanadas!”

    Mentioned in 29 reviews

    Read more highlights

    Verify this business for free

    People searched for Spanish 392 times last month within 15 miles of this business.

    Verify this business

    Casita Miramar - Arroz con Mariscos (seafood paella) and Churrasco (steak); Follow me @RimyEats on Instagram

    Casita Miramar

    4.5(1.7k reviews)
    1.2 km
    •$$$

    What a great food experience!!! Casita Miramar easily earned a spot in my top 2 restaurants I've…read morehad the pleasure of dining at in Puerto Rico when it comes to quality food and an overall amazing experience. The restaurant itself is absolutely beautiful, and the service was excellent from beginning to end,from the hostess to the servers and bussers. Our server, Jeffery, was amazing! He was energetic, professional, attentive, and you can genuinely tell he takes his position seriously. I loved that! We were greeted with complimentary sopa de plátano and bacalaítos, and I was NOT expecting to love them as much as I did. This was by far the best sopa de plátano I've ever had. I never thought I could fall in love with a soup, but here we are! (I ordered a whole extra regular size bowl )The bacalaítos were another surprise because they're normally not something I order or even particularly like--and I've tried quite a few in my life--but these were absolutely delicious. My S/O and I shared the churrasco with arroz mamposteao, along with a side of avocado salad and majado de viandas. Everything was a straight 10/10. Not one disappointment on the table. They also make an amazing Rojo Pico, which was the perfect addition to the experience. 100% recommend Casita Miramar. Don't overthink JUST GO! Beautiful atmosphere, excellent service, and most importantly, genuinely delicious, quality Puerto Rican food. This place absolutely deserves the hype and its spot in my top two!

    The workers were honestly the sweetest. the environment is so welcoming and calm…read more although i wasn't very happy with the food. i went with my family and we found the food very bland and overpriced!! my mom LOVES cooking and she could tell when frozen beans are served to her. the food tasted old and the rice look like it was reheated from days ago.. definitely might be a tourist trap. the aesthetics are beautiful but isn't worth the price. on the good side, they sell natural juices and the parcha juice was the best i ever had!!

    Photos
    Casita Miramar - Indoor Dining Room

    Indoor Dining Room

    Casita Miramar - Amazing chocolate Fudge Cake delivered to restaurant (Cakes by Glorimar in PR). Staff sang and added candle

    Amazing chocolate Fudge Cake delivered to restaurant (Cakes by Glorimar in PR). Staff sang and added candle

    Casita Miramar - Pastelón - Delicious thick Caribbean soft meat and plantain taste and texture

    See all

    Pastelón - Delicious thick Caribbean soft meat and plantain taste and texture

    Cocina Abierta - Second Course

    Cocina Abierta

    4.4(747 reviews)
    0.5 km
    •$$$$

    I don't write reviews often, but this experience was absolutely worth taking the time to write one…read more All I can genuinely say is WOW. And honestly... how is Cocina Abierta not Michelin rated?! I decided to do four courses, and every single one was incredible. I started with the Crudo de Salmón Hawaiana with mango pascual, watermelon radish, and hibiscus flower. Then the Robalo al Horno de Leña with coconut beurre blanc, salicornia, and tamarind. For the main course, the Mofongo de Pato Criollo with duck chicharrón, duck and shiitake broth, and guava hoisin. And dessert was the Café with requesón, pâte à choux, and carambola. This was one of the most dynamic meals I've ever had. Every course was completely different, yet everything felt intentional, creative, and incredibly well-balanced. The flavors, textures, presentation, and creativity were on another level. What made the experience even more special was knowing that the ingredients are locally sourced and thoughtfully incorporated into the menu. You can genuinely taste the care that goes into every dish. And the hospitality? Unforgettable. From start to finish, the entire experience was exceptional. Cocina Abierta absolutely blew me away. This is the kind of meal you remember long after you leave, and I will 100% be back. If you're in San Juan and looking for an unforgettable dining experience, go here.

    A real culinary experience! They offer a 5 course meal that will surely give your tastebuds a…read moreroller coaster of unique tastes. All the staff are VERY knowledgeable about the food and ingredients. Cocktails very good as well.

    Photos
    Cocina Abierta - Bar

    Bar

    Cocina Abierta - Snook

    Snook

    Cocina Abierta - FRESH LOCAL CATCH CEVICHE - Leche de tigre | avocado chips

    See all

    FRESH LOCAL CATCH CEVICHE - Leche de tigre | avocado chips

    Santaella - FILETE DE SALMÓN ORIENTAL

    Santaella

    4.3(698 reviews)
    1.0 km
    •$$$

    Kept seeing a bunch of reviews on how amazing this place was and honestly it's up there…read more To start off, I'm not really a sweets guy so my take is going to be a little off from the general public. We were able to snag a reservation but for a late time which was about an hour and a half before close. The service was super great but one thing I wished they mentioned that the bottled water was going to be a $40 charge lol. Makes sense for any upscale restaurant though. Should've mentioned we wanted tap so fair warning, ask cause you WILL get charged haha. We had a group of 10 and for how big the group was, the food came out pretty fast. I don't think we ever had a time between drinks to entrees where we were waiting for food to come out. We got the watermelons mojito for drinks since it was the most raved about. It was good but personally nothing crazy for me. 8/10 score on that. We also curry popcorn chicken, the ahi tuna lollipops, the empanadillas and the goat cheese quesadillas for apps and honestly overall 9/10. This is where I don't like the sweetness part of this meal. The empanadillas were what I was most excited for but it was more sweet then savory which sort of lose my appetite a little. I think if you like that kind of taste then it's going to be good. It wasn't a bad taste at all. Just too sweet for my liking. The curry popcorn chicken was good and the lollipops were great. Again, nothing crazy. The goat cheese quesadillas was good as well but again, too sweet for my liking. Now on to the entree, they didn't have the porkchop since we came late so I ended up getting the porkchop belly dish. When it came out, it looked amazing but then I got a whiff of it and smelled cinnamon. That's when I was sort of disappointed. It was like eating pork but tasting Cinnamon Toast Crunch and as said before, it tasted great but too sweet for me. This one was way too sweet to where it seemed like a dessert item. I just had poor luck and got one of the one items that were sweet. This doesn't tank the rating down whatsoever because I also should've read it had cinnamon. It would've been great if they made a dipping sauce or something to pair it with and not have it on the pork belly itself. I got to try other dishes my friends got which were good as well but I wish I got to try something else. If I came back I would try the sold out item which was the pork shank or the sea bass. I know for a fact the sea bass was amazing. Had a bite of it and thought "I'll come back for that" Overall, 10/10 experience and nothing bad about the place but gotta try different items when I go next time. I understand the hype now

    WOULD recommend (dinner). Stopped by during first night in Puerto Rico, we had a reservation around…read more9pm so we were able to see the festivities associated with La Placita. I suggest doing reservations at least 3 weeks in advanced if you want to time that you want especially during peak days like Fri, Sat, etc. When we came in, the staff were very hospitable to us. This establishment has was very intimate, well lit; upon entry the music was a bit loud but then became manageable for casual conversation. We saw a good amount of large parties as well so they have good reputation for celebratory outings. We started off with drinks, ordered the Paper Plane, was very sour but wasn't bad in my opinion (Rating: 7.1/10), but the Perfect Lady on the other hand, was amazing lavender goodness, I don't think I have had a bad lavender drink yet from any place I have had so glad they kept the train going (Rating: 9.0/10). Next, for appetizers we ordered the Empanadas, that have different flavors everyday. The day that we came, the flavor was BBQ pulled pork, which I personally absolutely loved. Crispy, not hard exterior, hot and fresh (Rating 8.8/10). For the entrees, we ordered the Tacos De Mero Empanados (Fish Tacos with Chipotle Coleslaw) and the Milanesa De Pollo. The fish tacos were definitely the best dish at the table, came with 3 tacos that had rich flavors, ordered from the "Daily Specials" section of the menu (Rating 8.4/10). Next, the Milanesa De Polla was a large, breaded chicken breast that was honestly good for multiple people, came with side of arugula and cherry tomatoes with light dressing (almost nonexistent to be honest). It came with a sauce on top, like an aioli that wasn't bad honestly. This dish was a good safe option if you aren't sure what to get (Rating 8.1/10). I wanted to originally order the Pastelon De Amarillos but they were out of stock of that dish during the visit. Overall, Santaella offers pretty extensive menu with foundations of a high quality restaurant. Their service during our visit was definitely top of the line, no complaints. I just wished they had more than 2 single use bathrooms as the line definitely added up which could pose an issue for guests with urinary urgency/frequency. Pricing also wasn't horrible, was able to get a full course dinner for 2 for under $150 so can't really complain, just check their menu before going if you want specifics. They also have Rooftop Sundays at Azotea for those who are interested in their alternative dining setting. This place was good nonetheless and I would recommend it, is right in between fine dining and casual making it good for those dressier date nights.

    Photos
    Santaella - Dinning room area

    Dinning room area

    Santaella - Pulpo Parrilla

    Pulpo Parrilla

    Santaella - Tomatoes with Parmesan Cheese Ice Cream

    See all

    Tomatoes with Parmesan Cheese Ice Cream

    Cocina Al Fondo - Rabbit meatballs, root vegetables 'al pilón' - good!

    Cocina Al Fondo

    4.6(105 reviews)
    0.9 km

    We visited at the recommendation of a friend and WOOOOOOW. This was my favorite dining experience…read morein San Juan...maybe all of PR. The high quality preparation combined with the classic tastes of the island... mwah chef's kiss. LB and I ordered apps and split and entree. There was sooo much food and it was all so delicious. Our server was a DELIGHT and made it feel like we were dining with friends. Love the ambiance. The location. The menu. Put this high on your list of things to check out

    Farm to table Puerto Rican food, James Beard winning chef. Highlights for me were the appetizers…read moreand cocktails. The buñuelos de malanga and the longaniza empanadas were excellent. The Funk Fashion was an interesting take on the Old Fashioned. My wife ordered a few other cocktails which were also very good. As for main course dishes, My lamb fricasse and the rice with rabbit were delicious. The only reason I'm taking off a star is because it was hot af. Seating is mostly outdoors. Interior seating is very limited so expect to be seated outside. The patio is very nice, but there is little to no breeze so it gets very hot. My parents went earlier in the year when temperatures were lower than they are this summer and they experienced the same. My suggestion is wear light breathable clothing: shorts, skirts, open toed footwear. Maybe bring a personal fan. Overall, a must foodie destination.

    Photos
    Cocina Al Fondo - Indoor ambiance

    Indoor ambiance

    Cocina Al Fondo - La Maja cocktail, Beets and 'Lucía' goat cheese terrine, honey, cherry tomatoes, almonds, artisanal bread toast - lovely

    La Maja cocktail, Beets and 'Lucía' goat cheese terrine, honey, cherry tomatoes, almonds, artisanal bread toast - lovely

    Cocina Al Fondo - Funky Fashion - their twist on Old Fashioned

    See all

    Funky Fashion - their twist on Old Fashioned

    Empanada Lady - spanish - Updated October 2026

    Loading...
    Loading...
    Loading...